A joint state police-ATF investigation will seek to intercept the handguns before they can be sold to criminals, Bartholomew said.

In 2010, the ATF reported more than 5,000 guns stolen from dealers nationwide. Of those stolen and missing, nearly half were handguns.

More than a third of those arrested for crimes involving handguns acquired their weapons on the black market - a possible last stop for the Saxton guns - according to Daniel Webster and Jon Vernick, director and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research in Baltimore.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the ATF at 800-ATF-GUNS or 1-800-283-4867.